Blacktail butterflyfish
Encyclopedia
The Black-tailed Butterflyfish (or blacktail butterflyfish), also called Exquisite Butterflyfish, is known as Chaetodon austriacus by its scientific name
. This species
of butterflyfish
(family
Chaetodontidae) is found in the Red Sea
and around southern Oman
only. Supposedly, a Black-tailed Butterflyfish was sighted in El Nido, Palawan
(Philippines
) by Dr. Gerry Allen during a fish identification project in July 2007.
The Black-tailed Butterflyfish is up to 14 cm long and is orange with thin, curved black stripes. Its anal fin and tail are black. The body of juveniles is whiter above with white bands on the tail. The Melon butterflyfish
(C. trifasciatus) and the Oval butterflyfish
(C. lunulatus) are similar in coloration but have less black on the caudal and anal fins.
Together with the Melon and Oval butterflyfishes and probably also the somewhat aberrant Arabian butterflyfish (C. melapterus) it makes up the subgenus
Corallochaetodon. They are probably quite close to the subgenus called Citharoedus (that name is a junior homonym of a mollusc
genus), which contains for example the Scrawled butterflyfish
(C. meyeri). Like that group, they might be separated in Megaprotodon if the genus
Chaetodon
is split up.
Black-tailed butterflyfishes tend to be found in coral
-rich areas between 0.5 and 20 m deep, on seaward reef
s or in lagoon
s or bay
s. Adults are generally found in pairs patrolling a territory
or range while juvenile
s are found among coral
branches. This species grazes on coral polyp
s and sea anemone
tentacle
s.
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
. This species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of butterflyfish
Butterflyfish
The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. Found mostly on the reefs of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, there are approximately 120 species in 10 genera...
(family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Chaetodontidae) is found in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
and around southern Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
only. Supposedly, a Black-tailed Butterflyfish was sighted in El Nido, Palawan
El Nido, Palawan
El Nido is a first class municipality and managed resource protected area in the province of Palawan in the Philippines...
(Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
) by Dr. Gerry Allen during a fish identification project in July 2007.
The Black-tailed Butterflyfish is up to 14 cm long and is orange with thin, curved black stripes. Its anal fin and tail are black. The body of juveniles is whiter above with white bands on the tail. The Melon butterflyfish
Melon butterflyfish
The Melon Butterflyfish, Chaetodon trifasciatus, is a species of butterflyfish . It is found in the Indian Ocean from East Africa to Western Java. This is one species of a closely related group which includes the Black-tailed Butterflyfish of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and the Oval Butterflyfish...
(C. trifasciatus) and the Oval butterflyfish
Oval butterflyfish
The Oval Butterflyfish, Red-finned Butterflyfish or redfin butterflyfish is a species of butterflyfish . It is found in the Pacific Ocean from Eastern Indonesia to the Hawaiian islands...
(C. lunulatus) are similar in coloration but have less black on the caudal and anal fins.
Together with the Melon and Oval butterflyfishes and probably also the somewhat aberrant Arabian butterflyfish (C. melapterus) it makes up the subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
Corallochaetodon. They are probably quite close to the subgenus called Citharoedus (that name is a junior homonym of a mollusc
Mollusca
The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...
genus), which contains for example the Scrawled butterflyfish
Scrawled butterflyfish
The Scrawled Butterflyfish, Chaetodon meyeri, is a species of butterflyfish . It is found in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean from East Africa to the Line Islands; north to the Ryukyu Islands; south to the Great Barrier Reef; including Micronesia and the Galapagos Islands.Growing to a maximum...
(C. meyeri). Like that group, they might be separated in Megaprotodon if the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Chaetodon
Chaetodon
Chaetodon is a tropical fish genus in the family Chaetodontidae. Like their relatives, they are known as "butterflyfish". This genus is by far the largest among the Chaetodontidae, with about 90 living species included here, though most might warrant recognition as distinct genera.Several subgenera...
is split up.
Black-tailed butterflyfishes tend to be found in coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
-rich areas between 0.5 and 20 m deep, on seaward reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s or in lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s or bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
s. Adults are generally found in pairs patrolling a territory
Territory (animal)
In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
or range while juvenile
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
s are found among coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
branches. This species grazes on coral polyp
Polyp
A polyp in zoology is one of two forms found in the phylum Cnidaria, the other being the medusa. Polyps are approximately cylindrical in shape and elongated at the axis of the body...
s and sea anemone
Sea anemone
Sea anemones are a group of water-dwelling, predatory animals of the order Actiniaria; they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flower. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, subclass Zoantharia. Anthozoa often have large polyps that allow for digestion of larger...
tentacle
Tentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
s.